Product Code Database
I Verbti () is an Albanian adjectival noun meaning "the blind one", which was used in northern Albanian folk beliefs to refer to the god of fire and wind god in the Zadrima region, and to the thunderstorm god in Dukagjin and the Malësia e Vogël; in Shala tribe the thunderstorm god was referred to as Rmoria. These beliefs survived in northern Albania until recent times.; ; ; ; ; .
In Zadrima it was believed that by controlling the wind I Verbti is able to fan the flames of fire and move water, the opposite element to fire.; ; . The Albanian word for "Thursday" – e enjte – was evidently named after the Albanian fire god Enji.; . Originally holding a prominent role in the Albanian pantheon, under Christianization the god of fire and wind was demonized and considered a false god, and it was spread about that anyone who invoked him would be blinded by fire.; ; . The purifying power of Fire worship underlies the popular idea according to which the god of fire is the enemy of uncleanliness and the opponent of filth.
In Dukagjin, Malësia e Vogël and Shala it was believed that the thunderstorm god Shën Verbti ("the holy blind one") or Rmoria lives in the clouds and travels using storm clouds which announce when he arrives. He can be greeted and turned away with noise and gunshots. These beliefs and practices were similar to those associated with the thunderstorm god Shurdh.; .
The connection of Shurdhi with the Albanian term i shurdhët meaning "the deaf one", seems to be only a coincidence, since the name Shurdh must be seen as a compound of *seuro, "water" (cf. Albanian shurrë "urine"), and *dos "giver/donor" (cf. Albanian dhashë/dha, "I gave/he gave"); his name thus means "water donor". A relation between the name Shurdh and the second part of the theonym Zibelthiurdos found in ancient Thracian epigraphic monuments has been suggested.
The coincidence of the name of the weather and storm god Shurdh with the term shurdh-i "the deaf one" probably gave rise to the adjectival noun I Verbti "the blind one" or Shën Verbti "the holy blind one", which was used to refer to the weather and storm god in the Albanian Alps along with Rrmoria,; . and to refer to the fire and wind god in the Zadrima region.
The reconstructed name of the Albanian fire god *Enj- presumably continues Proto-Albanian *agni-, ultimately from *h₁n̥gʷnis, the archaic Proto-Indo-European word for 'fire' as an active force. The PIE name is also continued in the name of the Vedic fire god Agni, who in Vedic religion is associated with the Sun in the heavens, with lightning in the clouds, and with both hearth and ritual fire on the earth among humans. It has been suggested that the deity to whom Thursday was dedicated was worshiped by the Illyrians in antiquity; ; . and he may have been the most prominent god of the Albanian pantheon in Roman times by interpreting Jupiter, when week-day names were formed in the Albanian language.; ; . A prominent role played by the fire and wind god referred to as i Verbti is attested in the Zadrima region.; ; .
With the coming of Christianity in Albania, I Verbti was demonized and considered a false god, and it was spread about that anyone who invoked him would be blinded by fire.; ; . However, in folk beliefs the god I Verbti was often considered more powerful than the Christian God. The struggle between the old and the new god and the predominant popularity of I Verbti in Albanian folk beliefs is expressed in a tale narrated from a Christian point of view, according to which two lads met together, then one said: "Let me pray to I Verbti! Afterwards we will go to fight on!" The other, however, replied to him: "I Verbti, there's no such thing! But the God in heaven, who is only one, he is the true God!" So one prayed to I Verbti and the other to the true God. Then they fought against each other. But God arranged it so that the one who prayed to the true God was killed, while the other who prayed to I Verbti survived. Hence all the people placed their hopes in I Verbti.; ; .
According to a 1913 account reported by Albanologist Baron Franz Nopcsa, tribesmen of Shala shot with their firearms at an approaching storm, and they were pleased for their success in sending away the storm god, who went over the neighboring territory of Shoshi, no longer constituting a threat for Shala's grape harvest.
|
|
